Galilean Moons - Composer's Edition (score)

Commissioned by Concerte Eroica (Toyama, Japan) and premiered at their 40th annual concert in April, 2017.

This work consists of four parts representing the four largest moons of Jupiter, the Galilean moons, discovered by Galileo Galilei in 1610. The original suite is a 16 minute work, but at Brain Music's request, this is a "Composers Edition" to increase accessibility to the suite.

I. Io

The innermost orbit of the Galileo satellites, the intense volcanic activity due to frictional heat generated by Jupiter's enormous tidal force and the gravity of other satellites has been established. Its surface is constantly altered with sulfur and lava blowing up from the core. It is a "changeable star" that is rich in diversity.

II. Callisto
Callisto is the fourth and last Galilean moon. The moon does not form part of the orbital resonance that affects three inner Galilean satellites and thus does not experience appreciable tidal heating. It is very quiet and changes little, and the age of the surface dates back to more than 4 billion years. Covered by countless craters made in the old days, its surface spreads as if it were a starry sky.

It is a star with little change, quiet and most beautiful.

III. Ganymede

Ganymede, the third Galilean moon, is the largest natural satellite in the Solar System, which makes it larger than the planet Mercury ? although only about half of its mass since Ganymede is an icy world. It is the only satellite in the Solar System known to possess a magnetosphere, likely created through convection within the liquid iron core. It is also interesting that the surface is clearly divided into an old black part and a relatively new white part. It is a two-sided giant star.

IV. Europa

From the perspective of extraterrestrial life exploration, along with Saturn 's satellite "Enceladus", this second satellite is currently attracting the most attention. There is a lot of evidence that suggests the existence of a large amount of liquid water, or "the sea", subterranean. Although the surface is covered with ice, the heat generated internally under the influence of Jupiter's enormous gravity, like Io, melts underground ice to form the "sea". If that is true, the amount of water is twice that of the Earth's oceans. We can't help but feel the miracles of our planet while thinking about the existence of this other sea and the possibility of life.

Hope you will feel the preciousness, appreciation and prayer of "Life" through this work.

(Kei Misawa)